How to Identify the Best-Fit High School for Your Child

Books, sports, and creative tools reflecting the variety of factors in selecting the best-fit high school for your child – The Red Pen

In the last 2 decades, the education landscape in India has changed drastically. Now, you face several questions when it comes to selecting the best-fit school for your child. Should you opt for a school that offers international curricula, such as the IB, A Levels or Advanced Placements? Should you stick to the Indian curriculum, such as CBSE or CISCE? Which school offers a diverse range of extracurriculars so that your child can explore their interests?

There are many ways in which you can go about selecting a school. Below we’ve outlined some of the most important factors that you should consider:

1) Curriculum:

One of the first things to consider when deciding which school is the best fit for your child is to see whether the curriculum matches your child’s learning style. Does your child excel when they memorise concepts and theories or are they more inclined towards application-based and analytical learning? This will help you understand where your child will be able to perform to their best ability. Traditionally, Indian curricula are more focused on academics, with structured learning and an emphasis on rote learning and grades. International curricula, on the other hand, are more holistic in their approach, have smaller class sizes and focus on activities outside of school.

When it comes to planning for future college admissions, you should know that both Indian and international curricula are recognised by universities abroad. Rather than the curriculum, these universities are looking for students who are at the top of their class within their school. Hence, for admission purposes, it is more important to select the most rigorous subjects within the chosen curriculum rather than selecting a rigorous one that is not suited to you your child.

2) Programme and opportunities offered:

Now that you’ve identified which curriculum and learning style is the best fit for your child, you can start researching various schools and what they offer. It is not compulsory for all schools to offer the same subject combinations, while some may only offer limited subjects. So, you need to ensure that the school provides the subjects in which your child is interested. In addition, find out more about the various clubs, sports and extracurricular opportunities that are available. Also, you need to find out about the facilities, such as sports grounds or science labs and equipment from which your child might benefit.

3) School culture:

Next, you need to look at the school’s culture. Certain schools may have a reputation for being more competitive, with better college admits. However, when choosing a school for your child, it is vital to go beyond academics and check if your child will thrive in this competitive culture or not. Your child might need a hands-on approach when it comes to their education, which is why a school with smaller classrooms and intimate discussions might be a better fit.

At The Red Pen, we’ve seen students thrive in different environments. One of our students, who attended a competitive school, felt that it was due to his environment that he could push himself and grow. Another one of our students was struggling at his current school. He decided that moving to a different school that offered a more personalised approach to learning for grades 11 and 12, may be better for him. After the switch, his confidence increased and his grades improved.

4) Location:

Once you have a few schools in mind, it’s time to look at their location. In high school, alongside preparing for tests and exams and dealing with increased academic rigour, your child will also be participating in school clubs, working on passion projects and having added responsibilities in their other extracurricular activities. As all these scenarios are time-consuming, you should try to identify schools that are close to your homes to avoid additional travel time.

5) Cost:

One of the factors that might determine your child’s school is cost. High school is just the beginning of your child’s academic journey. As your child continues to an undergraduate and then maybe a postgraduate programme, these costs will only increase. Thus, it is important to understand whether the school fits within your budget. Keep in mind that in addition to the school fee, there will be other expenses over the course of the year. It is important to factor in all these costs while choosing a school.
Costs also varies depending on the curriculum offered. In general, international schools are more expensive than Indian schools.

After shortlisting schools based on the above factors, you need to factor in each one’s admission timeline and process. Admissions timelines vary depending on the curriculum offered and the year of intake.

In general, most CBSE and CISCE schools have application deadlines between October and February, while IGCSE, A Levels and IBDP admissions begin in June and the process often goes on until January. New student intakes usually occur in grades 8 and grade 11.

Besides this, the admissions process also varies between schools. While most schools require you to fill out an admission form, followed by an interview, many prominent schools also conduct an entrance test to assess the student’s academic performance.

Here are some of the components for high school admissions:

1) Application/Registration form:

Most forms require students to provide personal information, grades from the past two or three years and an extracurricular activity list. Depending on the school, the form may also ask students to write a personal statement explaining their achievements and why they would like to attend that particular school.

2) Entrance exam:

There are some schools that require students to complete an entrance exam in mathematics, English and occasionally, science. For example, Dhirubhai Ambani International School requires its IB students to sit through two admissions tests. Stage 1 is a multiple-choice test that assesses logical reasoning, mathematics and English language skills. Stage 2 is a descriptive test that evaluates English, mathematics and an elective paper in science or social science.

3) Interview:

Most schools will require students to sit for an interview as part of their admission process. The interview style can be academic or non-academic and can range from about 10 minutes to 40 minutes. For instance, last year, Hill Spring International School did not conduct an entrance exam. Hence, in the interview, students were asked questions that tested their knowledge of mathematics and science. Students were asked about scientific concepts and to solve mathematical problems on the spot. Non-academic interviews are usually based on understanding the student’s academic interests and extracurricular activities.

To ensure that you make the right decision, we suggest that you research each school and then create a table that has all the factors mentioned above, along with the pros and cons of each. It is also important to have an ongoing dialogue with your child to adequately prepare them for their new school. Remember, it isn’t about choosing the ‘best’ school, but the ‘right’ school for your child where they will be able to thrive. If you need help in making your school list, get in touch with us.

 

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Anusha Bhagat

Chief Operating Officer

PGDM, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad;
B.A in Economics, Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University

Anusha Bhagat is a growth strategist and operations expert with 15 years of
securities-industry leadership
across Hong Kong, India and Singapore.
At UBS she served as Chief Operating Officer – Equities & Investment Banking, India,
transforming an at-risk equities franchise with legacy infrastructure into a
robust, growth-ready platform and rolling out new products under enhanced
governance.

She has launched cash-equity, equity-derivatives and prime-broking businesses in
multiple Asian markets and sat on the deal-closing teams for UBS’s
acquisition of ABN Amro’s global F&O business (2006) and the GS-JB Were
Australia joint venture (2003).
Her track record spans in-house M&A, technology turnarounds,
process re-engineering and enterprise-wide risk remediation
.

Known for a collaborative, cross-functional working style, Anusha combines
front-office product insight with settlement, control, technology and
regulatory frameworks to deliver end-to-end solutions. She derives energy from
tackling challenging build-outs and supporting teams in achieving
their growth and career goals.

If Anusha weren’t a COO, she would be …
helping early-stage founders scale up as a full-time venture advisor.

The question she’s asked most often …
“How do we turn this legacy process into a competitive advantage?”

Kavita Sonawala

Chief Marketing Officer

Shikha Dhar

Associate Director, Institutional Services

Nainika Ajani

Associate Director, Partner Relations

Aneri Shah

Manager, Boarding School Admissions

Mehnaz Jaffer

Associate Director, Sales, Business Development and Marketing, Undergraduate Applications and Preparation

Aarti Anand

Associate Director, Client Servicing, Undergraduate Preparation

Sheetal Vora

Associate Director, Client Servicing, Undergraduate Applications

Tripti Singh

Associate Director, Postgraduate Services

Natasha Mankikar

Manager, MBA services

Neil Maheshwari

CFO & COO, U.S. News
& World Report,

MBA in Finance, Illinois State University;
Chartered Accountant; CPA; Bachelor’s in Accounting

Neil Maheshwari is CFO & COO of the U.S. News & World Report, L.P. He has overall responsibility for financial strategy, capital allocation, business operations and strategic investments.

He has over 30 years of experience in the media business, especially related to corporate finance, business operations, taxes and digital strategy. He was a key member of the team that led the digital transformation of U.S. News in 2010.

Neil’s career began at the New York Daily News in 1993, following its acquisition by Mort Zuckerman. Over the years his responsibilities have encompassed budgeting, contract negotiations, tax management and IT operations for the New York Daily News, U.S. News & World Report and other media entities under the family’s ownership.

As a member of the executive committee, Neil participates in crucial business-strategy decisions and their implementation. He is also deeply involved in evaluating all potential acquisition and divestiture opportunities for the media companies owned by Mort Zuckerman. His prior experience includes leading the sale of Fast Company to G & J in December 2000, as well as the sales of Atlantic Monthly, Radar magazine, Applied Printing Technologies and, most recently, the New York Daily News to Tribune Publishing in 2017.

Before joining the Daily News and U.S. News, Neil spent over four years with a mid-town CPA firm, specialising in audits and mergers & acquisitions for publishing clients. He also gained experience at the India offices of Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young.

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President

Dr. Kimberly Dixit

CEO & Co-founder of
The Red Pen